Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-12-20
A QUEER BARGAIN.

A QUEER BARGAIN.
Well. you see, said Cousin Sally Baker
Shen the railroad people first came along
here with their queer looking machines
a-iayin out the new track, We were nj
nightly exercised about il. Some tool
one view and some another. Some was
pleased, ana said 'twould open up mar
ket to us and increase the vally o. land
1 while others allowed that the farms would
I be ruined, the wheat fields set afire, the
cattle run over aud killed and the noise
itself be an abidin' noosance.
! I tell you some Of EN- was real mad,
hut the maddes. OF the hull lot was on.
deniably Betsey Ann Simcoe.
| She was a single, unmarried woman.
about 40 or more,s and lived on a poor
little place Of her own, just above the
! Cross Keys tavern.
| Twas only two or three acres Of gray
ally land, with q two room frame house
| on 1t. Folks said she had q leetle money
hid AWAY somewhere, for she was powerful
| sharp 1t making bargains and held tight
grip on all she ga hold Of; but, all the
same, she made great talk about poverty
AS an excuse for not giving more to the
missionary society and for repairs to the
meeting house.
Still she seemed to get along's well a.
any nybody,with her garden and her COW and
her poultry and the little gal she'd prem
ticed from the city's poorhouse to help do
chores.
She wasn't q bad tempered woman I'm
eA'ral, but l tell you she was mighty
riled up the day the railroad folks come to
her house and told her they were surveyin'
the track and that 1t would hev to run
right straight though her house.
She rared up then and lowed the prop
erty was hers, and nobody had . right to
SO much rs set q foot ON 1t without her
consent They We're civil enough and
explained, and said they was willing to
pay double the vally o the hull property
for the privilege Of running the road
through.
She wouldn't hear It, but out o. sheer
contrariness refused every offer, though
evGybo3 could see that her mouth
watered ut the very mention Of the money.
She said she'd never give mp her home,
and IL they run their tnjine through the
house twouid be over her mangled body.
And she wound up by threatening il they
didn't quit In = short time, she'd have
them arrested for trsspass ON her prem
iseS
Well, the next dny she went down to
Hobhs' Holler to zee her cousin, Lucindy
Parks, and talk over the railroad busi-
ness. Lucindy and the rest tried to con-
vince her that she'd get the best o. the
bsreain, by letting the -railruad company
have the land; but she lowed she'd not
be turned out o. doors TO 'commoda,e q
passel o sassy men folks that cared for
nothing bur their own good. She stayed
TWO days at Lucindy's, and then went
back TO her own house At Cross keys.
Least ways, she went 10 where she'd left
her house standing. bsrt when she come
in sight Of It. twas gone, and no.hin' Of
it left but lot o. burnt wood and ashes.
Then there WAS row! Betsey Ann &C.
cused the railroad folks Of burning her
house, and threatened to persecute 'em by
the law. They lowed they could prove
10y the neighbors that It had been done &C
cidentally BY . passel O. ira nps who
camped on the place the night she Was
away, and made . fire in the woodshed to
roast some Of her chickens for supper.
When the chips and wood caught and set
fire TO the house they got skeered and
made short tracks out o. Cross Keys.
Betsey Ann was convinced the railroad
folks knew more about these tramps than
they chose 10 let on. But she didn't say
much-oniy dropped . little hint that
she'd he even with them bimeby.
They offered TO build her another house
Il she'd give up the land. She said she'd
Of it and let 'em know. Purity
soon they some to an agreement, by
which, besides paying well for the land,
thsy was to build her . two story, four
; ON frame house, and likewise allow her
. travel free on the road for the rest Of
ner life whenever she wanted to, with .
female companion along.
At first they objected to the companion;
but when she explained that she was a
'one woman and couldn't think Of expos
ing herself to the attentions Of strange
men by travelling unprotected, they LATED |
and agreed to put in that condition along |
with the rest. which was done, and the
papers sasde out and signed and sealed |
10 law. Yoa see they'd heard |
the netghbors lafiing 1t the idea Of Miss |
Simcoe ever travelin' on the railroads.&c. |
that bad skeercely been farther from home |
than Hobbs Holler or Bowling Green
meetin' house in all her life, and was most |
afeard to trust herself out O. sight of her |
own house.
Well, the company kept their word, and |
run up two story, four room frame |
house for Betsey Ann-seech as 1t was
She declared twas nothing better than .
shanty, that wouldn't keep out the sum-
mer's heat nor winters cold, and was
liable to lie blown away by the first high
wind that came along. The company said |
they hadn't stipulated FOR the exact way !
The house Was 70 be built and they d done
fhe best they could afford to do, and she
,ught TO be satisfied. She shut up then,
hut sot her Jaw in a way she had Of her
'wn when she'd H.adt up her mind to
she didn't choose to talk about
lest Yet.
lay everybody turned out to see the in
ine for the fust tine come tearin' and
up to Cross Keys. Betsey Ann
# Triumph. for nll the worlds IL the huh
belonged to her. Every time the
rain passed she came out and looked at
till she got used to seeing it and hearing
Is unearthly noise. And then one day
he tuck her little white help along. and
got aboard the cars and rode up TO the /
sCAb stataoh. a. olc oaiu, W bcC poW ~
elt and how she liked IT, Next week she
vent ag'iu rs fur as Cloverdale, and
title while arter made another trip, long
with her cousin, Lucindy Parks, clear up
o the city.
Purity soon she got to be known to all |
he railroad folks along the line, and there
sas no end to the jokes about her
by gosh says old Mr.. Potter to one
; the conductors, one day, I'm think
ng you'll hev TO fix up car for her
peshai 'commodation, If it goes on this
way much longer"
oh" answered he, a-smiling, sits a
novelty 10 her at present, but we don't
,bjec'. Arter awhile, when her curios-
ty's gratified, she'll be content to settle
lown at home ag'in, and talk over her
ravels.''
Well she did stay quiet for week or
w0, and then took aS'in to ri';ing on the
all. First she went TO ClOver,lale TO buy
Tin kitiia fsir ton ran.s which ste ssas
was a saving Of five cents from gittin' It
at Cross KEYS